Introverts of our era spend their time on their computers, but what did introverts do before? Like when literacy rates were lower (pre-1950s)? Or before the printing press?

Reading books, writing, doing crafts, going on walks, hanging out with pets, gardening, doing chores, cooking, making art, looking at the stars…

In 2003 I worked for a small company that was attempting to be an early ebook publisher, before the days of ereaders and smartphones. It was too ahead of its time and closed after our first two publications. One of the books was on an old mining town, and part of my job was doing research and collecting photos and reference materials for the book.

I had the chance to read the diary of a miner from the 1860s. Keeping a diary was one popular hobby, but one thing that stood out to me was how he described a day off he had, it was a Sunday I believe and he spent 6 hours watching a bird and writing down all that it did.

What I gathered is that in the absence of entertainment or chores, humans will find things to fill the void. What seems extremely boring to you or me was very fulfilling to those with no other options.

Model trains, stamps, and books.

Unless your name was Henry Cavendish - Then you'd be making amazing scientific breakthroughs and not tell anyone, only to get credit posthumously after someone reads your lab notes.

He conversed little, always dressed in an old-fashioned suit, and developed no known deep personal attachments outside his family. Cavendish was taciturn and solitary and regarded by many as eccentric. He communicated with his female servants only by notes. By one account, Cavendish had a back staircase added to his house to avoid encountering his housekeeper, because he was especially shy of women.

Before the printing press, introverted men worked the farm, while introverted women spun thread, made and repaired clothes, cooked, cleaned, nursed babies, and also worked the farm.

this is the same as what extroverts did, because back then, you contributed to the farm and the household whether you liked it or not.

At a celebration or festival, the introverts might gather in a corner to tell stories, but there was no way to avoid being part of the community back then.

Mountain hermit

Introverts probably had it much better back then. You couldn't physically take your work home with you. Your news came once a day, to the front porch, and was not constantly bombarded at your eyeballs. When you were home, you only interacted with your immediate family, unless you had someone physically over to visit. Or if someone called in the telephone, which you could always just not answer.

I spent a good deal of time disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling slot cars. Plenty of reading. Climbed trees. Ate wild mulberries. Fixed bicycles.

Spending the day working in a field, in a factory, etc you don't do a lot of socializing.

The mind wonders when you’re doing mundane tasks. A sheep herder would be lost in their thoughts all day.

Before the printing press was before organized timekeeping or most automated machines.

This meant there was plenty of space for introverts doing isolated manual labour that we now automate.

What did they do at the end of the day instead of visit at the pub? Probably collapse in exhaustion.

For those who had more power, there was always religious orders.

Before the Internet, I read books. Everywhere, constantly. Haven't read a book since the 90s, probably.

I think people are painting the past with a little bit of rose colored glasses. There was less support in the 90's, you couldn't just look up how to do something, be yourself, or understand the basics about anything. We had a 3 "pedophiles" on our street. Were they? I don't know, it was a rumor. There was no list. It was great in some ways and not so great in others.

Join a convent/monastary and spend your life in seclusion and take up an oath of silence. Or at least let people assume you took the oath and just not talk to anybody. Spend time 'meditating'.

People used to live in the secluded far edges of the village when they really wanted to be left alone

Build model trains.

Developing Philosophy.

books. sorry did not take it all in. before the printing press? no idea.

Humans are social mammals. In many important respects, it makes no sense to even think of us as individuals.

I suspect that in the past people with higher levels of social anxiety probably just spoke a little less than average, and noticably less on the much less frequent times they met strangers.

But i think it's its probably very inaccurate to imagine anyone who we'd recognize as an "introvert" in the much more collectivist cultures that dominate history.

Took walks and complained about other peoples traditions.

Source: hp lovecraft